The previous temperature record was registered in 2001, when thermometers showed 2.4 degrees Celsius.

The entire first half of November has been unusually warm in West Siberia, with average daily temperatures exceeding the norm by 8 to 10 degrees Celsius (14.5F to 18F) in the first ten days of the month and by 10 to 14 degrees Celsius (18F to 25F) in the following week.

On Monday, the 2001 temperature record of 5.1C (41.2F) was broken when the mercury rose to 6.4C (43.5F).

The unusually warm weather is a result of air masses moving from the Atlantics via European Russia and the Urals to Siberia, a spokesman for the regional meteorological service said.

Temperatures in West Siberia are expected to fall to minus 17 degrees Celsius (4 degrees Fahrenheit) by November 19, the spokesman said.

November has also been unusually warm in many other regions across Russia.

In Moscow, the temperature reached 12.3 degrees Celsius (54.14F) on Monday, setting the fifth record for the fall of 2010. The previous record for November 15 was set in 1923 with a temperature of 11.7C.

The high temperatures resulted in hedgehogs and badgers being unable to go into hibernation this fall in some areas. Some animals, such as red squirrels and hares, have not yet shed their coats.

A record-breaking heat wave gripped Central Russia for much of the summer, sparking large-scale wildfires across the country and causing the worst drought in more than a century. The fires killed several dozen people and left over 3,500 homeless.